My Friday afternoon was a learning adventure. First, I took my hand-me-down generator to Tom Sawyer Bicycle Shop to see if they had any advice about how to open it up to see the inner workings. The casing appeared to be in one piece. The owner of the shop was able to gently pry the plastic top off the generator to reveal that it was arranged oppositely to my first generator; this generator has fixed coils and a rotating permanent magnet in the center.
After looking at other bicycle-powered charger circuits online, I thought I might need a rectifier, a capacitor, and a voltage regulator. I decided to shop for/learn more about these devices. I started at Locke Electrical Supply since it is in my neighborhood. I went in an explained my project but they did not have any of the components I was looking for. They sent me to B & B Electric Motor Company. The guys at B & B were very friendly and helpful (and happened to be Friends University alumni). They were intrigued by my project and asked if my generator had AC or DC output. I assumed it was AC (if it even worked), but they offered to test it for me. They attached an electric drill to the generator shaft and used a digital multimeter to measure the current. It was AC and we were able to easily produce 6 to 7 volts. This was good news. A cell phone charger requires roughly 3-6 watts of power. Using the equation VI = P, 6 volts x 2 amps = 12 watts which would be more than enough to charge a single cell phone. The guys at B & B thought that the wire could easily handle 2 amps for several years of use. We also talked about the other parts of the circuit. The guys advised me that I would not need a capacitor to smooth out the pulses if I intend to charge a battery, rather than running directly to a cell phone charger.
The alternator dilemma: my new friends at B & B asked if I had considered using an alternator for PedGen. I said that I had considered it, but was leaning towards using the bicycle generator. One of my concerns is the weight of an alternator. I asked if they knew how much one weighs and they estimated it to be about 30-40 pounds.If I were to pack that in a suitcase, that would take up the majority of the weight allowance.
I left B & B and purchased my first digital multimeter!
Other thoughts for the day:
Would the pedal mechanism from a paddle boat be a better arrangement?
A car battery will be a problem to transport or find on LaGonave. My husband pointed out that motorcycles are widely used as taxis on the island, so we could probably purchase a motorcycle battery when we arrive.
After looking at other bicycle-powered charger circuits online, I thought I might need a rectifier, a capacitor, and a voltage regulator. I decided to shop for/learn more about these devices. I started at Locke Electrical Supply since it is in my neighborhood. I went in an explained my project but they did not have any of the components I was looking for. They sent me to B & B Electric Motor Company. The guys at B & B were very friendly and helpful (and happened to be Friends University alumni). They were intrigued by my project and asked if my generator had AC or DC output. I assumed it was AC (if it even worked), but they offered to test it for me. They attached an electric drill to the generator shaft and used a digital multimeter to measure the current. It was AC and we were able to easily produce 6 to 7 volts. This was good news. A cell phone charger requires roughly 3-6 watts of power. Using the equation VI = P, 6 volts x 2 amps = 12 watts which would be more than enough to charge a single cell phone. The guys at B & B thought that the wire could easily handle 2 amps for several years of use. We also talked about the other parts of the circuit. The guys advised me that I would not need a capacitor to smooth out the pulses if I intend to charge a battery, rather than running directly to a cell phone charger.
The alternator dilemma: my new friends at B & B asked if I had considered using an alternator for PedGen. I said that I had considered it, but was leaning towards using the bicycle generator. One of my concerns is the weight of an alternator. I asked if they knew how much one weighs and they estimated it to be about 30-40 pounds.If I were to pack that in a suitcase, that would take up the majority of the weight allowance.
I left B & B and purchased my first digital multimeter!
Other thoughts for the day:
Would the pedal mechanism from a paddle boat be a better arrangement?
A car battery will be a problem to transport or find on LaGonave. My husband pointed out that motorcycles are widely used as taxis on the island, so we could probably purchase a motorcycle battery when we arrive.